


Changes

by Eshnoazot



Category: The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Adapting to the modern age, Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-11-27
Updated: 2014-02-09
Packaged: 2018-01-02 19:01:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 2,784
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1060412
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Eshnoazot/pseuds/Eshnoazot
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The world changes with human innovation.</p><p>*A bunch of small, stand-alone fics about changes and innovations that Steve Rogers faces; good and bad.</p><p>Chapter 3: Steve and Thor discover Play-dough.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

The uncanny silence in Stark Tower was completely unnatural, considering the composition of the team. However, silence tended to be more likely to arise when breakfast had been cooked well before they ventured out into the common area with bed hair and tired faces. It was for this reason that Steve tended to wake up early: to enjoy the quiet before everyone awoke and stormed throughout the skyscraper. The quiet itself was different from that of the 1940's; it was always a question in his mind, whether it was the serum that made his hearing sharper and quiet rarer, or if it was truly the existence of the modern age that resulted in constant beeping and electronic whirling.

Maybe it was an odd combination of the two, or maybe it was the result of bunking with Tony Stark.

Tony, who seemed to be genuinely concerned when that background noise dimmed away.

His musings were interrupted- as always- as the stack of pancakes he cooked dwindled down. He sighed in preparation for the fight, which always seemed to break out as the more aggressive members of the team called dibbs, or tried to claim it by stabbing a hammer or arrow through it.

As long as the property damage was kept to a minimum, they could fight it out all they wanted.

"Morning, suzy homemaker," Stark managed to slip into the room and headed towards the coffee machine with a soup mug in his hands, "Save any for me, or am I sleeping on the couch tonight?"

Steve ignored the snickers of amusement and slid a plate across, "I made too many for me; want some?"

"Of your 1940's pancakes?" Stark made a face as he slid his mug under his coffee machine, "You have a vendetta against sugar. Jenny Craig herself would cry at the sugar deficit in your diet."

"This from the man who takes his coffee with the same consistency as concrete," Steve pointed out, as he frowned,"Is that _safe?_ "

" _Sugar_?" Tony grinned, "Alien invasions, terrorists and super villains you're fine with, but you think _sugar_ is the one that's going to kill me."

"That's about a Litre of coffee," Steve continued, staring at the soup mug that had more in common with a bowl, than a cup, "And JARVIS said you've filled it thrice this morning, and it's only 7:30."

Stark shot him an indulging look, "Coffee is an important foodgroup."

"Coffee isn't a food."

"Coffee comes from coffee beans. Which is a seed," Tony jabbed his finger with every point, "Seeds belong to the vegetable food group, and since you're suppose to get 5 serves a day, I think I'm a little behind on my daily goal."

Clint laughed loudly, "Tony, your addict logic never fails to cheer me up."

"Gold star for the bootlicker," Tony called with a smirk, "Hawkeye gets the last pancake. _My house, my rules_."

" _Kiss-ass._ " He heard Natasha whisper to the archer, who dutifully cut his winnings in half and offered it to her.

"Play nice kids," Tony chided with a smirk that resulted in several rude gestures sent his way, "Coffee Cap?"

"No thanks," He replied automatically, "I have water."

Stark eyed the glass of water near his elbow with a dramatic eye roll, "Well, if it's to your liking..."

"Kind of?" He started, then backtracked at Tony's expression, "No, it's fine- it's just...water just doesn't taste the same anymore."

"Anything to do with your serum enhanced tastebuds?" 

"I did drink water _AFTER_ the serum, Tony," He responded with a smile, "No- I can't explain it. It just tastes _different_."

"Could be the additives," Tony mused, just as Steve is taking a long drink from his glass, "New York added Fluoride to their water about 1966."

"Is there anything that you _don't_ add additives to?" 

"Yeah," Tony sighed, "Look, it's a good thing. The basic run down is that Fluoride helps protect teeth against tooth decay, as there is fluoride in the water it provides universal dental decay protection and preventive benefit to all individuals regardless of age, gender or socio-economic status. Etcetera and so forth."

"It's a health benefit?" Steve marvelled, "That's clever; I suppose that's why you all have such good teeth."

"No, I have such good teeth because I have a professional dentist on staff," Tony smiled, showing off his teeth, "Cosmetic Dentistry, Cap. You could be their poster boy if you weren't _all naturale."_

"Considering the sheer amount of coffee he drinks, he should have stained teeth by now," Clint pointed out, "And I doubt he brushes his teeth twice daily, considering he doesn't even _EAT_ twice daily."

"Take that back, freeloader, my dental hygiene is fantastic!" Tony scoffed.

" _Veneers_." Clint announced solemnly.

"I rescind your pancake supremacy." Tony announced, before turning his attention back to Steve, "Fluoride is so sparsely concentrated that you shouldn't be able to taste it. We could do a bunch of blind tests to see what kind of sensitivity you have to water quality..."

"Thank you for the offer, but I think I'm okay," He smiled back, "I guess a lot of things have improved."

"Eh," Tony paused, as he started pouring in tablespoons of sugar, "High sugar diets, lack of accessible dental care. It's an uphill battle, really. It's better if you can _afford_ it."

Steve's face darkened.

"Oh, is Captain America going to be advocating for improved dental care now?" Tony shrugged, "I mean, there was all those posters when I was young- _CAPTAIN AMERICA SAYS BRUSH YOUR TEETH TWICE A DAY. CAPTAIN AMERICA SAYS MAKE HEALTHY LOW SUGAR CHOICES. CAPTAIN AMERICA SAYS WATER IS A HEALTHY MOUTH OPTION. CAPTAIN AMERICA SAYS FLOSS BETWEEN MEALS._ "

"There were dental posters?" Steve responded in confusion.

"I had a Captain America toothbrush," Clint announced, "The electric ones that said that not brushing was letting Hitler win."

There was a pause.

"Those things weren't even a thing until the early 2000's," Stark narrowed his eyes.

"I know," Clint grinned, "Coulson brought it for me."

"He was sick of you digging tooth from between your teeth with the tips of your arrows." Natasha pointed out.

"Birdseed gets stuck everywhere," Stark responded, in mock-sympathy.

"Fuck you too Stark."

"Ah!" Tony suddenly exclaimed, whirling on Steve, "You grew up in an old Brooklyn house, right?"

Steve nodded, crossing his arms as he leant against the bench.

"Old pipes? I'll bet you they were probably lead; Water absorbs lead from solder, fixtures and pipes; you're probably missing your poison of choice," Tony paused, and stroked his chin, "Elevated levels of lead can also cause health problems, especially in infants, young children and pregnant people. You said you had a lot of headaches, nausea, fatigue and muscle pains as a kid right? We can probably tag impaired growth onto that list too- _I've seen your pre-serum photo's Tinkerbelle, relax_."

"You think lead pipes could have caused that?" 

"I certainly don't think it _helped_."

 _"94 percent of homes built before 1940 are estimated to contain lead- based hazards, such as pipes, fixtures, soldering and paint, Mr Rogers,"_ JARVIS intoned, _"I can forward more information to your personal tablet if you so desire."_

"Thank you JARVIS," Steve responded with a frown, "I feel as if there's so much that I need to catch up on; not that everyone hasn't been an incredible help, but small things like fluoride in water and lead always seem to slip through. JARVIS, can I also have some information on current dental care acts? And fluoride, and modern dental hygiene?"

"Someone has some studying to do," Tony remarked as he collected his coffee and dug a few muesli bars from a drawer, "Careful Cap, there'll be a test."

"It's always a test when talking to you Tony," Steve pointed out, "I'm sure that 90% of your vocabulary is references to things you know I won't understand."

"Immersion is the best way of learning," Tony announced as he shoved muesli bars into his pockets, "Everyone has to stay on their toes somehow; you can't just bang our ruby slippers together."

"They were silver in the book."

"See," Tony smirked, "We're both learning something new, Dorothy!"

"I'm pretty sure that makes you the Tin Man without a heart," Clint announced, "Bruce can be the cowardly lion. Natasha is probably To-"

"Finish that, scarecrow, and you'll certainly be missing your brains," Natasha darkly muttered.

" _THOR_ can be the mighty canine Toto, and Natasha is...?"

"The Good Witch of the North," Natasha filled in, "She's the only one who successfully manipulated everyone."

"Well," Tony announced, suddenly "As usual, this has been nice and slightly disturbing, but daddy has science to do."

"Please cut down on the coffee Tony," Steve called to his back, "Fluoride aside, you'll be halfway to tooth decay by the end of the day."

" _Not a chance, Cap."_

 


	2. Chapter 2

_"Tony is about to explain blue tack to Steve,"_  Was the first thing that Natasha heard, as she rounded the corner into the kitchen. Clint sent a look towards her that made her lips curl in contained amusement. She hid the response by nodding towards the two other men. Their body language clearly said that their conversation held their attention to the detriment of their observation.

"You just pull off a section and it adheres to walls?" Steve announced, looking at the blue strip in his hand in surprise, "And it's  _reusable_? What's it made out of?"

"That's a trade secret Cap," Tony replied from behind his smoothie, "Some kind of synthetic pressure-sensitive rubber. If you really want to know, I can buy you  _Bostik_  for your birthday. We can produce a batch of spangly patriotic 'tack in honor of your new Business venture."

"Well, that certainly sounds like one hell of a first date," Clint muttered to her quietly, with a matching smirk.

"It looks  _awfully_  tempting to children though," Steve muttered quietly, "What if it gets mistaken for candy?"

"No worries, it's fine. Non-carcinogenic and non-toxic; practically idiot-proof. You missed the 'child-safety' paranoia of the early 2000's. I would say you dodged a bullet but you'd probably have loved it. C _aptain America personally endorses_ _baby-gates and rounded corners_ ," Tony paused, "Stick whatever _floats your boat_ onto your walls now Cap; posters, drawings, the Avengers nude charity calender-"

" _Nude charity calender_?"

"-Okay, The _Iron Man_  nude charity calender," Tony paused to take in Steve's expression then amended, "The _Unauthorized_ Iron Man nude charity calender _."_

_"Unauthorized my ass."_ Clint coughed from behind his hand.

Steve raised his eyebrow, but shook his head in the way the team had fondly dubbed the  _'I don't want an explanation'_  expression.

_"Mr Rogers, if I may interrupt,"_  JARVIS' voice suddenly filled the room,  _"Blue tack has other, non-traditional uses that you may be interested in knowing."_

Steve's eyes flicked to the ceiling, with a pleasant expression, "Of course JARVIS, go ahead."

_"I took the liberty of researching Blu-Tack, and I discovered that it provides an alternative to the artist's traditional kneaded eraser_ _, as it has a superior grip and plasticity. Furthermore,_ _it can be finely shaped and worked into even very small areas. Like kneaded erasers, it can be stretched and kneaded to freshen its working surfaces. Secondly, it_ _can also be used to pick up and transfer images from printed cartoons,"_  There was a pause before JARVIS added,  _"If you are interested, it also acts as an excellent damping agent for sound and vibration applications, due to its low amplitude response properties."_

"See, it's Cap-friendly!" Tony brightened, "If you don't like blue we can get you other colours. For example red and white. There's a Green Halloween pack in Bruce's Lab, if you're feeling disconnected with nature."

Steve stared at the poster putty in his hand with a thoughtful expression, "It looks like it might be helpful as a stress ball? I won't have to worry about accidentally destroying it."

"Show-off," Tony coughed and waved his hand to signal the end of that conversation, "Anyway, many uses, therapy included. Cheaper too. You can stop worrying about ruining your sketches with  _Scotch Tape_."

Tony suddenly paused and looked towards Steve expectantly. In return, Steve frowned.

"...I know what Scotch Tape is, Tony."

"JARVIS?"

_"Scotch tape was invented in 1925 by Richard Drew, sir."_

"I feel like we need to make a list of Cap-things, Jarvis, put that on my to-do list."

_"Ms Potts asked that I remind you that she has expressed her disapproval towards adding 'to create lists', onto your current to-do list."_

"JARVIS, add a  _memo_ -"

_"Ms Potts asked that I remind you that-"_

"Maybe you should listen to Ms Potts more often Tony; she's a swell Lady."

"Oh aren't you just  _peaches and cream-"_

"Show's over kids," Clint sorrowfully announced, before brightening substantially, "Nat, wanna go _'post-1945 inventions shopping'_?"


	3. Chapter 3

" _Good Captain_!" Thor boomed, to the rhythm of his thunderous steps, "Come, see the most splendid gifts that the Lady Darcy has bestowed upon me!"

Steve looked above his sketch pad curiously as the visibly excited Norse God rushed into the lounge-room, with oddly coloured potts in his arms. He set aside his sketchbook out of equal curiosity, but packed away his watercoloured pencils with the reverence of a child with a new novel toy.

"Lady Darcy?" 

"A dear friend and sister of my beloved Lady Jane," Thor's infectious smile was impossible to resist, "She calls these  _Play-dough,_ although she insists that, despite the fact that they are dough, they are not intended to be eaten."

He watched as Thor pulled the coloured masses from the cans and planted them on the coffee table, "Darcy was quite insistent that no midgardian experience was complete without the delight that these substances brings to both adults and children alike. She recounted many whimsical tales of her youth."

"May I?" Steve indicated the putty-like substance with his hand.

"By all means, Darcy informed me that these are to be used in great company!"

Steve carefully picked up a lump of the play-dough and felt it with his hands, "What is it used for?"

_"It is a non-toxic reusable modeling compound, Captain Rogers,"_  JARVIS interjected,  _"Intended for art and craft projects at home and in school. It is considered to be one of the most memorable and influential toys of this century."_

"It's a child-friendly version of clay," Steve exclaimed in delight, "How many colours does it come in?"

_"There are over 3,000 colours, Captain."_

"Lady Darcy supplied me with 13 colours, Steven," Thor announced solemnly, "It is a most wonderful creation."

Steve laughed in delight, as he inspected the colours available.

"Darcy informed me that she has created a play-dough Feline, for her desk. She is very fond of felines, I infer," Thor paused, "Would you assist me in creating small felines as a show of appreciation, for her thoughtful gift?"

"I would be delighted!" Steve brightened, as he reached for the red and yellow pots of play-dough, "Thank you for asking me! Darcy sounds like a sweet and thoughtful gal."

"She is a true Shield maiden, and the finest of your people," Thor proudly announced, while twisting play-dough to form whiskers, "She has bested me in combat and provided much support for Lady Jane. I am most grateful for her continued friendship."

"I'd love to meet her one day," Steve paused, as he rose "I think Tony has some toothpicks in the cupboard that might be helpful for smaller details. Would you like anything to drink, or eat?"

"An excellent idea, Captain!" Thor's grin widened, "I would appreciate a drink of the most excellent Ginger Ale we dined upon yesterday, but my appetite was sated in a great feast hall which Darcy called the  _Sucker's_ which was a most delightful all you can eat Buffet..."

_~Three hours later~_

"What's happening up here?" Bruce stifled a yawn as he glanced between the two blond superheros, before narrowing his eyes on the coffee table, "Why are you surrounded by play-dough cats?"

"...We did not realize that play-dough had such a potent mesmerizing effect," Thor confessed, "Do you believe that Lady Darcy will appreciate these gifts?"

"Dr Foster's assistant?" Bruce blinked his eyes and stared at the familiar colour-scheme.

"We have named this creature Captain  _Ameowica_ ," Thor beamed, "He has found his kin in Thor, the God of  _Thunpurr_ and _Iron Kitty_ "

"...Don't tell Tony you didn't invite him to this."

"You believe he would feel slighted?" Thor looked concerned over this prospect.

"There's plenty of leftover playdough if you want to join us, Dr Banner!"

"..No, no, Its fine, I was just grabbing some Lunch," Bruce shook his head and continued towards the kitchen, "Have fun you two... I'm sure she'll love it."

 


End file.
